


Orbital Patterns

by raja815



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Astronomy, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, Science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 06:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raja815/pseuds/raja815
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I believe we are approaching optimum orbital position against the Psi III moon," Spock reported, holding his tricorder aloft to consult the screen.  "The eclipse will commence in one hundred and sixty seconds."</p>
<p>In the early days of their five-year mission, Kirk and Spock observe an eclipse together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orbital Patterns

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a dual challenge with [colonel_bastard](http://archiveofourown.org/users/colonel_bastard). Watching William Shatner in [_Incubus_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus_\(1966_film\)), we were inspired by his character's line to a love interest; after the two of them witnessed an eclipse, he remarked that they had spent the night together. We thought the line was not only quite lovely but an excellent Space Husbands vehicle, and we agreed we'd each write a fic inspired by it. My challenge was to write a fic where Spock uses the line. In her fic, ["Every Now and Then,"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1152590) Kirk says it. 
> 
> This story is set very early in the five-year mission, when their amazing friendship/bromance/romance was still in its infant stages.

The doors of the observation deck slid open, and Kirk smiled. Spock was there, standing sill and tall before the centermost transparent aluminum window. He stared forward, a tricorder clasped in hand, face lit by the reflection of the planet outside.

"Spock. This is where you were hiding out," Kirk said. 

"You required my assistance?" Spock said. "An alert through ship's communications would have—"

"No, no," Kirk raised a hand, halting Spock before he could move. “Nothing’s wrong, don't worry." 

The walk along the windowed corridor held an unusual sensation of movement; typically, without a fixed point for comparison, the ship hardly seemed to move at all, but against the planet through the window, he felt every step stirring beneath him like waves. It didn't stop until he was standing still at Spock's side.

"Just wondered why I hadn't bumped into you," he explained. "I usually do, when I'm making rounds. I'm on my way down to Botany now: I thought I'd take the scenic route." He gestured vaguely toward the window. "Less efficient, more aesthetic. What brings you here? Something wrong in shuttlebay?"

"Negative, Captain. While observing orbital trajectory reports, I noted patterns indicating Lambdah VI's outermost moon, Psi III, will soon pass into its solar node. Due to our own orbital position and speed, the resulting solar eclipse will be visible from this deck. As I am currently off-duty, I thought I might observe the phenomenon."

"Wonderful," Kirk said, oddly pleased at this small instance of self-indulgence: the Vulcan so rarely did anything for pleasure. "Mind a little company?"

"I am not adverse," Spock said, and Kirk smiled as he leaned in toward the window.

“I haven't watched one in awhile myself,” he said, looking out at the swirling atmosphere of the planet. “Beautiful, aren't they?"

"I am unsure. I have never viewed one."

Surprised, Kirk swiveled around to look at him. Spock didn't move.

"Never viewed one?"

"Never firsthand," Spock clarified. "I have of course observed recordings."

"But never in person? On your planet—"

"Negative, Captain. Vulcan has no moon."

"Oh yes," Kirk said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Spock, it slipped my mind."

"Inconsequential, Sir. As a Vulcan, I am incapable of taking offense."

"Of course." Kirk looked down at the blue planet below, and thought of his first officer's red one; desert mountains, small hot seas untouched by the pull of any tide. How different it must have been, he thought, to grow up in a world of moonless nights.

"I believe we are approaching optimum orbital position against the Psi III moon," Spock reported, holding his tricorder aloft to consult the screen. "The eclipse will commence in one hundred and sixty seconds."

He pointed leftward and Kirk saw the smooth, sharp edge of the planet against the darkness. The moon in question would be behind them, Kirk thought, between his ship and the Lambdan sun.

"Excellent," Kirk replied, "excellent." Perhaps, he thought, down on the surface the Lambdans were waiting too, excited and anxious. Or perhaps, with their many moons, eclipses weren't rare enough to be special.

"I saw an eclipse for the first time when I was a boy," Kirk said, not taking his eyes from the planet. " I used to love the night sky, and that's just what it was like. The stars coming out, then the sunrise… a little piece of night in the middle of the day.”

He chuckled and turned, smiling in acknowledgement of this bout of sentimentality, to apologize for distracting Spock from his observations. 

But Spock had turned to watch him as he spoke.

"Indeed," Spock said, and snapped his head forward again, back into the blueish glow. "Solar eclipses are an intriguing astronomical phenomenon. I regret one was never visible near my viscinity during the time I spent on Earth."

"I wish you could have seen one."

"In nine point two seconds, Sir, I will."

He pointed quickly and turned to engage his tricorder as the sharp, clear outline of the planet went soft. Kirk stepped forward to see more clearly and with his step that peculiar sensation of movement came again, almost as though he were moving into the eclipse itself.

Once begun it went quickly, the dark shadow racing across the vivid blue. The swirl of clouds above the planet's oceans were erased, mountain ranges hidden, winding threads of rivers wiped away. Kirk watched, thinking of Iowa, how the birdsong had faded and the stars had come out. The observation deck grew dim as the darkness below spread wider and wider, leaving nothing but a thin blue crescent like a daytime moon. Then that too was gone and the entire planet was lost in shadow.

"Fascinating," Spock whispered.

Kirk's gaze turned to him seemingly of its own accord and he saw the first glimmer of returning light across the planes of his first officer's face.

"Yes," he agreed, and turned back, thinking of sunrises and wondering what colors the red skies of Vulcan turned when night gave way to daybreak.

"Precisely six point four-three minutes in duration," Spock said, once the planet was fully visible, "exactly as predicted."

Kirk chuckled. "Six point four three minutes well spent, Science Officer?"

"Indeed, I found it very educational." He indicated his tricorder. "I believe I will document my observations, if you have no further need of me?"

"Have at it, Spock. Go ahead."

"Thank you, sir." He turned to go, inclining his head in a companionable nod. "Good morning, Captain."

Kirk frowned. "'Good morning'?" 

Spock's eyebrows rose, a faint puzzlement in his eyes, almost as if he'd been rebuked. "I... referred to our shared experience in viewing the eclipse. By Earth parlance, you and I have spent the night together. I thought the phrase would be... But perhaps I spoke incorrectly—"

"No, no," Kirk said. "That's... it was very clever."

He hadn't yet taken a step, but the feeling of motion was back, stirring beneath his feet as he offered Spock his warmest smile yet. "Good morning, Mr. Spock."


End file.
